Getting Ready to Pounce When the Next Opportunity Comes

“Can you make the connection for me? I would love to get an opportunity with them based on this article.”

The other email read, “Could you send a copy of my resume over to her and tell her to “help a brother out.”

Friday is a day for me to connect back to the U.S. with requests like the one above, follow-up, and meet new people. But sometimes I get a little perturbed with the level of request and the cluelessness of the people making it.

Granted, I do know a lot of people and I am always willing to share my network with them. The problem is that sometime the requestors do not realize is that this is the major leagues. This career conundrum is a serious business.

Are you really prepared?

What this means is that every job you apply for is one you need to aggressively compete for — and in order to compete, you have to be prepared.

It Takes the Right Talent Mix to Get the Culture Thing Right

“No the manager was cool, it was just that I could not survive in that culture. I had to get out.”

We have all heard the phrase that people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Well, hearing that had me thinking.

Yes, this makes sense. I quit Martha Stewart Living because the culture had changed dramatically. I loved the people, but the toxicity at that time was a bit much. I walked out with a job in sight.

It has become more and more apparent that the key conversation in the executive conference room needs to be about the culture of the company. In some of my recent meetings, I talked to senior leaders who are focused on getting the people thing right. I would advise any organization that you ignore this at your companies risk.

Strategic thinking is more than the business

So, What Did You Learn From Your Last Workplace Setback?

“The truth is, everything that has happened in my life, that I thought was a crushing event at the time, has turned out for the better. You learn that a temporary defeat is not a permanent one. In the end, it can be an opportunity.”

This was a statement from one of the wealthiest people in the world, Warren Buffett. It is also a very true statement.

When we stare defeat in the face, it sometimes frightens us. It completely shakes up our equilibrium, but eventually, we will realize that it all worked out.

Your response determines your trajectory

We have all had those stumbles in life where it seemed like the end of the world, when we were so devastated. Looking back on my life I have come to the conclusion that your response to a setback will determine your trajectory.

The Question If You’re in a Bad HR Organization: When Is it Time to Go?

I have encountered numerous HR professionals recently musing about the difficulty of doing their profession in an organization that could care less.

They read, they discuss where HR is headed, but in their current space, it is light years away from where it should be.

They want more, they dream of more, but they get no more.

After one blog post of mine, someone wrote to me about the frustration she faces. After years of toiling in the transactional nature of her job, it is at a point that she wants to pull her hair out.

When we see the writing on the wall

Her dream and focus is on how HR could really help the business, whether it is in talent management, strategic workforce planning, or tying the HR to the larger organizational goals. However, her manager loves the transactional aspects and does not want to touch the strategic aspects.